The present invention relates generally to fabric wall coverings and, more particularly, to track assemblies attachable to a wall to create a framework on which a fabric material may be mounted thereby making it possible to cover the surface of a wall without the need to prepare the surface or to adhere the fabric directly to the surface.
It is known to provide a framework formed of plastic channeling fastened by means of staples or other means onto the marginal areas of an interior wall to be covered with a fabric. Such wall, which may be formed of unfinished sheet rock, plaster, cinder block, concrete or wood, requires no preparation other than the installation of the channeling. The fabric material to be applied to the framework is first cut to the exact dimensions required, taking into account that the fabric sheet is to be subjected to tension in the framework. The installation procedure is such as to tension the fabric from top to bottom, thereby imparting to the fabric wallcovering a naturally smooth finish.
Devices and frameworks for supporting fabrics on a wall in the past have utilized border pieces and channel members which, although targeted for the non-professional customers, require the use of tools or fairly complicated systems which require cutting the fabric accurately in order to effectively use the system.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,642 (the contents of which are incorporated herein), a track assembly is disclosed which addresses the problems associated with prior devices. The track assembly generally comprises two tracks each having one half of a hinge and snapping clamp to interlock and clamp shut the two tracks onto one another to secure the fabric. A portion of the snapping clamp of one of the track assemblies comprises a U-shaped stuffing channel, a portion of which includes the edge of the track. When two pieces of fabric are to be joined at a tight seam, the ends of the track assemblies are necessarily abutted to one another. However, the track assembly of the '642 patent does not easily allow the user to form tight seams between two pieces of fabric by adjoining the track assemblies end to end. Due to the configuration of the U-shaped portion of the snapping clamp, when the ends of the assemblies are placed in close proximity at least one of the snapping clamps will not completely clamp shut. This is due to the deformatoin of the U-shaped clamp when increased forces are applied to it by the stretching fabric and the abutting fabric. Therefore, the ends of the assemblies must be spaced just far enough apart to allow the snapping clamps to shut while forming as tight a seam as possible.
Therefore, what is needed is a device which requires no special professional skills nor specialized tools in order to support fabrics on a wall. What is further needed is a device which can be positioned adjacent to similar devices for the creation of tight seams between pieces of fabric. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.